Dr. Andrea Lee of Insulite Laboratories' Medical and Advisory Team provides guidance and coaching to individuals who contact the Insulite Support Network. The latter include those using the various Insulite Systems. She undertakes research and writes articles for the company's PCOS Support Blog and has launched a web-based advice column "Ask Dr. Andrea". A Naturopathic physician, Dr. Lee is the owner of Norman Natural Health in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.

The worldwide obesity crisis could be growing because chemicals in the wombs of increasing numbers of overweight mothers raise the risk of their babies becoming obese.

A new American study has shown that mice who are genetically prone to obesity are getting fatter, generation by generation – and there is a link to a similar situation in humans.

However, researchers told The International Journal of Obesity that the dangerous effects of being overweight can be countered by a healthy diet and regular exercise in both mice and humans.

Genes alone do not fully explain why we turn out the way we do – why some people will develop cancer or Alzheimer's disease, while others become obese. But researchers increasingly believe that the effect of conditions in the womb on the developing fetus can play an important role in setting future health.

While nothing can change genes themselves, there is evidence that the womb environment can change the way genes work. Specifically, it may be able to produce chemical changes which control the level at which certain genes function. This process is called "epigenetics" and may explain why obese women tend to have children that become obese, themselves.

Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, used a type of mouse which, if offered a normal diet, will tend to put on weight.

While one population of mice was fed this normal diet, another was fed a diet fortified with vitamins and folic acid, designed to alter the epigenetic process by "silencing" genes.

The mice on the normal diet gained weight, as expected, and subsequent generations were progressively more obese. But those on the supplemented diet did not gain weight through successive generations.

Dr. Robert Waterland, who led the project, said he believed that the womb environment could alter the function of genes controlling the development of the part of the brain controlling appetite.

He said: "Why is everyone getting heavier and heavier? Maternal obesity could be promoting obesity in the next generation."

Worry, depression and sleepless nights increase the risk of Diabetes in men.

Swedish researchers found men with high levels of "psychological distress" had more than double the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes than those with low levels.

The study, which looked at 2,127 men born between 1938 and 1957, as well as 3,100 women, found no such link in females, however.

Writing in Diabetic Medicine, the researchers said stress may affect the way the brain regulates hormones.

The men, who had normal blood glucose levels, were questioned for signs of psychological distress, including anxiety, insomnia, depression, apathy and fatigue.

Between eight to 10 years later, the men were tested for Diabetes. The men with the highest levels of psychological distress were 2.2 times more likely to develop the condition than those with the lowest levels.

Further analysis showed the link was independent of other factors including age, body mass index, family history of Diabetes and socio-economic background.

Study leader Professor Anders Ekbom, from the Karolinska Institute, Sweden, said it was already known that men and women tended to have different coping strategies, which may explain the difference in risk.

"While women communicate symptoms of distress and depression, men are more unwilling to admit such feelings and tend to cope through drinking, drug use and other private activities or actions."

INSULITE LIFESTYLE TIPS: WHY A GLASS OF RED WINE APPEARS TO PROMOTE A LONGER LIFE

The French may take more tranquilizers than any other country in Europe. But at least they suffer less heart disease, despite the paradox of eating a fatty diet high in meat, butter and cheese.

The secret seems to be their fondness for red wine because scientists have now discovered a glass with a meal acts as a kind of antidote to fat.

When the stomach and intestines digest meat such as beef and turkey, for example, toxic chemicals are released that can ultimately cause cancer and heart disease.

The good news, however, is that red wine neutralizes those chemicals with antioxidants called polyphenols.

Researchers at Hebrew University in Jerusalem fed one group of rats with ground meat and another with the same meat infused with red-wine extract.

Subsequent tests revealed that the wine-dosed rats had lower levels of the fat-derived toxins.

So if you have a protein craving for a grilled porterhouse steak now and again, you can reduce the long-term health risks at the same time by having a glass of red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon or Chianti, whether it hails from France, Italy or California.

However, doctors advise sticking to one glass of red wine a day, otherwise a healthy habit could become a bad one.

Drinking two or more sugar-sweetened soft drinks or fruit beverages a day increases an African-American woman's risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by 31% compared with women who drink around one a month.

"The result was true whether they were of normal weight or overweight," said Julie Palmer, a professor of epidemiology at Boston University.

Professor Palmer's research was drawn from an ongoing Black Women's Health study of 59,000 African-American females across the USA.

Have You Been Diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)? Or Do You Think You Might Have This Condition?

If You Have, We're Here to Help You Restore Your Health

Insulite Laboratories is committed to giving you a better understanding of PCOS and a common underlying cause of the condition, namely Insulin Resistance-linked excess weight or obesity.

PCOS is a leading cause of menstrual irregularity and female infertility, as well as skin conditions like acne and brown patches, chronic fatigue and mood swings, excess facial and body hair and male pattern baldness in women.

Overweight and obese women are prone to PCOS but females of normal healthy weight and even those who are lean are also vulnerable.

PCOS can strike women of child-bearing age and those who are post-menopausal.

Despite having many or all of the classic symptoms, many women do not even know they have PCOS.

The Insulite PCOS System has been scientifically-formulated to help reverse Insulin Resistance - an imbalance of blood glucose and insulin levels.

This condition reduces insulin sensitivity, which, in turn, can be an underlying cause of the onset of PCOS. as well as the cluster of increased risk for cardiovascular disease called Metabolic Syndrome (Syndrome X) and Pre- and Type 2 Diabetes.

Once Insulin Resistance has been reversed, it's possible to better manage or even reverse the symptoms of PCOS.

To discover more about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and learn of women's experiences on the Insulite PCOS System, click on the address below.